Here are 10 of the top spots in the world to catch a huge tuna. Of course “huge”varies per species; a 350-pound yellowfin is as huge for that species as is a1,000-pounder for bluefin. Also, note that these are not offered as “the ten best spots” inthe world, but rather, 10 of the best.Big difference. These are not ordered by rank, but arbitrarily and randomly.And there are lots of other candidates, of course, such as Kona, RodriguesIsland, the Azores, Ivory Coast, Canary Islands and more.

The CanadianMaritimes of Prince Edward Island and Nova

The IGFA all-tackle record bluefin tuna justfour pounds shy of 1,500 was caught off Nova Scotia, Canada; many granders-plusare caught (and mostly released) each season here and off neighboring PEI.

The Reviilagigedos Archipelago and Other Banks off SouthernmostBaja

The world's biggest yellowfin tuna consistently comefrom the southernmost area of the eastern Pacific off Baja California Sur,Mexico. Recent studies have shown that these big cow tuna don't migrate longdistances but remain in the region, perhaps because the waters are soproductive.

Venice, Louisiana

The Gulf of Mexico offthe MIssissippi River mouth offers some of the most productive waters anywherefor big yellowfin tuna. Capt. Rimmer Covington (left) guided David Cresson,with CCA Louisiana (center), to his biggest tuna to date, as mate ScottSullivan assists.

Though yellowfin areencountered anywhere in the northern Gulf's blue waters, the most consistentaction is usually around/near big deepwater rigs.

Westport, New Zealand

Pacific bluefin arethe name of the game here, off western New Zealand. In this shot, Leanne Dixonadmires her 650-pounder, a pending IGFA line-class world record. It was caughton theCova Rosa with skipper Lance Goodhew.

Pacific bluefin offWestport are attracted to the bycatch and accidental discards of hoki trawlerslike this, shadowed by a game-fish charter. Hoki are small members of the codfamily, netted commercially.

Calm seas help thisangler in his stand-up battle with a giant Pacific bluefin — but such seas aredefinitely the exception off Westport, which is more often characterized bychallenging conditions, all part of the game to tough Kiwi anglers.

Cape Hatteras / Mid-Atlantic

While granders mightnot be likely in the Mid-Atlantic, the bluefin tuna that visit this coast eachwinter can run to sizes approaching that — huge fish by any measure.

Panama

Trophy yellowfin tunaare no stranger to the waters off Panama (and often neighboring Costa Rica aswell). This 268-pounder came from the Zane Grey Bank area off Piñas Bay, Panama.

A 170-pounderyellowfin is a big one in any book, but on a popper, such as this SebileSplasher, is a real accomplishment for Raleigh Werking with Tropic Star Lodge in Piñas Bay.

Mauritius and Reunion Island

Sitting far offMadagascar, in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius and nearby Reunion Island providegood shots at some hefty yellowfin (like this Mauritius specimen) and bigeye.

Not a bad place tocome home to, either, after a hard day's tuna fishing — the appealing island ofMauritius.

Outer Banks,North Carolina

Everyone knowsthat the Outer Banks of North Carolina make a great place to fish for school-to medium-size yellowfin tuna.Forty- to 80-pound yellowfin make up the breadand butter of the charter fleets during the long, hot summers, but it’s theinflux of giant bluefin each winter that gets the blood boiling even in thecold.

One of the mostappealing aspects of the North Carolina bite when it first started was that thefish were feeding in relatively shallow water — usually less than 120 feetdeep, which kept them from sounding into the abyss.

Stellwagen Bank/Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Big bluefin can becaught anywhere off the New England coast. Stellwagen Bank — where this beautywas caught with Capt. ChuckDiStefano (right) — is oneof the better bets.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

PuertoVallarta, characterized as "Cow Town" in Sport Fishing magazine, in one of the earliest features on the burgeoningfishery for 300-plus-pound yellowfin, remains a great place to find tuna — ofmany sizes — feeding at the surface.